Royalty Are Humans Too
by MrsWhitlock143
Summary: Two royal families, very close to the Pendragons, decide to reside in Camelot. While there, the princes and princess decide that it's time for Prince Arthur to lighten up and be a regular teenager -they just might even bring Merlin in on the action. However, along with being a teenager comes trouble; Uther is going to find himself having to be Arthur's father instead of his king.
1. Chapter 1

***Arthur and Merlin are seventeen. Morgana is not in this story. I will have OCs. There will be the occasional corporal punishment (nothing harsh). I am probably portraying the characters incorrectly or inaccurately, and for that I do offer my sincerest apologies; however, I will try my best so please bear with me. Eventually, there might be Arthur/Guinevere. I doubt very much that I'll make Merlin and Arthur more than friends (although I do ship it. Seriously, who doesn't?) Two of my original characters, William and James, will be a homosexual couple. HOWEVER, there will be nothing too explicit (smut, slash, etc), just normal couple stuff. And probably only sometimes, considering that the two princes wouldn't want word to get out in Camelot, ya know? If you don't like the topics that I will be expressing, then simply do not read it, okay? Skip to what you like, if you don't like anything, fine -but please don't leave a bunch of crappy hate. Obviously, constructive criticism is welcome, but no insults, etc. I don't know when I'll be continuing my other stories, nor which ones I'll be continuing, nor the order in which they'll be continued. Therefore, if anyone out there actually reads and follows my tales, then I am sorry. Truly, sorry. If anyone has a suggestion for anything they would like me to include in this story, I'll be glad to try to incorporate those thoughts. I'm always welcoming suggestions and tips. Also, if there's more of a character you would like to see/learn about, feel free to mention it in the comments. I'll do my best to satisfy your needs. Thank you, hope you like it. :) **

Groggily blinking his eyes open, Arthur Pendragon groaned at the brightness of the light shining through his window. Cursing silently, he heaved a pillow over his head, only to have it yanked back off. Huffing, he sat up, coming face-to-face with his perky manservant.

"Merlin." Arthur growled. The other boy's smile never wavered as he stepped back to give Arthur elbow space.

"Good morning, sire. Rise and shine!"

Shutting his eyes tightly, the prince of Camelot sighed. "Don't you ever say anything else?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Every morning you say the same thing; "Rise and shine," he imitated bitterly. "Can't you say anything else, Merlin?"

"Well, sure thing... How about up and at 'em?" The blue-eyed boy suggested wryly. Upon noticing his master's frown, he added, "Would it make you happier if I greeted you with 'good morning _sunshine_?'"

Merlin practically giggled while he walked away, even as Arthur's pillow whisked past his head. He mockingly shook his head and tsked. "It isn't nice to throw things at people, Arthur. Now, get out of bed; your father has requested your presence at breakfast this morning." He added the last bit hastily, lest the prince hurl a barrage of insults his way for the condescending tone.

The blonde sighed. "Fine. Merlin, get my clothes -and before you decide to comment on it, no, I will **not** be saying please _or_ thank you! So, get moving!" He declared, launching himself out of bed and behind the screen, stripping off his pajamas. Merlin rolled his eyes but wisely kept his comments to himself. Instead, he obediently tossed Arthur his clothes from above the changing screen. Changing quickly, Arthur stepped back into his servant's line of sight. "Merlin, do I look fat to you?"

"Yes." The boy answered without skipping a beat. Arthur gaped at him and shifted uncomfortably. The young sorcerer smirked. "Arthur, you're not overweight. You asked me if you appeared fat to me, and while you do, you're by no means... meaty enough to be considered so."

Arthur scowled. "You little prat. I oughta put you in the stocks." He took a menacing step forward; Merlin mirrored his step but in the opposite direction.

"Why? What did I do?" Merlin held up his hands in a placating manner. "Easy there, boy."

"MERLIN!"

"Well, there's my cue. You yell, I flee. See you downstairs. My Lord." He amended, scurrying out of sight, swerving in time to avoid the shoe Arthur chucked at him; Instead, the miniature boot smacked right into Uther's calf.

Arthur froze. His father always chose the most impromptu moments to appear in the doorway. The king met his son's gaze with a steely one of his own. Merlin shied away, resisting the urge to laugh at how childish his prince looked at that very moment. He sobered when Uther's booming voice rang out, thankfully addressing Arthur and not him.

"Arthur Pendragon! What have I told you about throwing your items everywhere?" He placed his hands on his hips, patience entirely evaporated from having had to come looking for his son in the first place. His boy fidgeted slightly, thoroughly embarrassed at being reprimanded in front of Merlin. His father cocked an eyebrow. "I'm waiting."

"You've said... You've said not to?" Arthur winced at how childlike he sounded, but there were moments where he couldn't help but cower before his father. Ironically, those moments were not when Uther was in 'king mode' but rather in 'father mode'.

Uther nodded. "Yet you continue to do so. Tell me, son, what prompted you to start tossing your," he took a moment to glance at the item in question, "your shoe at Merlin?"

Merlin appeared aghast that Uther had even referred to him by his name, let alone that he was reprimanding Arthur for throwing things at him. Arthur, too, seemed a tad in shock at that but knew he would have to answer nonetheless.

"I... He was being annoying."

Arthur groaned dejectedly. _That's seriously the best you can come up with? "He was being annoying"?! Really..._

His thoughts were interrupted when his father sighed heavily. "Arthur... If I catch you throwing things -___**as a**__**child**_ _**would**_ -again, then I will be sure to **_punish_** you ******_as a child_****_._** Am I understood?"

Arthur blinked, not quite knowing what to make of this abrupt revelation. "I... Yes, sir." He bowed slightly, showing the respect due, and straightened once more. "Sh-shall we go down to breakfast? I apologize for taking this long, Father."

"Very well, son. Let's go. I have something I wish to discuss with you." Arthur nodded and walked alongside his father, whom paused at the door momentarily. "Come along, Merlin."

The boys were taken aback but dutifully followed Camelot's king to the dining room, pushing and glaring at one another the entire time. Merlin wasn't holding back from his taunting -in fact, he felt strangely brave today and continued to pester the annoyed prince. Eventually, though, Arthur grew tired of his servant's petulance and slapped him upside the head and fixed him with a stern gaze. Merlin rubbed the tender spot and frowned.

"Bully." He muttered. Arthur looked at him.

"Excuse me?"

"N-nothing, Your Majesty." He responded, much more subdued. Uther merely grinned, not once turning around or intervening. Upon reaching the dining table, the two Pendragons proceeded to take their seats, while Merlin lingered dubiously. "Am I needed here, Sire?" He tentatively asked the king, refraining from further questions when his response was a mere nod.

Uther folded his hands on the table before him, before addressing his son first. "Arthur, I'm going to give you a series of names and you tell me if they mean anything to you, alright? William, James, Accalia, Jason."

Arthur hesitated a moment before grinning broadly. "Are you referring to the children that used to play with me when I was younger?"

"Those _children_ are princes and a princess, Arthur, same as you." Uther scolded lightly. "But yes, those are the ones. I know it's been a while since you have last seen them but I wanted to inform you that they will be staying in Camelot for some time -their parents as well."

Arthur's smile widened and then faltered slightly. "T-their parents? As in, the kings and queens? They're leaving their kingdoms unattended?"

"No, son. They have someone who will be supervising it in their absence. Don't fret, they will be keeping tabs on everything even though they will be here." Uther reassured his son and the boy nodded. Next, he turned to Merlin.

"As you heard, there will be a couple of royal families in our palace. Not only are they royalty, and should be treated as such, but they are practically our family. What does that mean? You will be as much a servant to those children as you are to my son. Is that understood, boy?" Merlin wrinkled his nose. So, they were back to 'boy'. Wonderful.

"Yes, sir. I understand." Merlin responded dutifully, internally groaning at this new predicament. More people to hide his magic from, more people to serve -more people. The only thing he hoped for was that they wouldn't be as snobbish as Arthur was.

"Very well. You are dismissed." Uther replied, his eyes coming down to the plate of food in front of him. "Eat, Arthur, before your breakfast gets cold."

Although he tried very hard, Arthur could hardly eat an ounce of food; he was much too ecstatic at being able to see his "cousins" for the first time in five years.


	2. Chapter 2

"Do try to keep up, Merlin. I'm not going to wait around all da- Merlin!"

Merlin looked up from the flowers he had been observing. He tilted his head quizzically at Arthur, not having heard a word he said. "Yes, sire?"

Arthur bit the inside of his cheek to refrain from insulting his friend; but really, sometimes Merlin was just a plain idiot.

"Let's go, we haven't got all day." He glanced down at the roses Merlin was looking at and scoffed. "What? You want flowers? I'll buy them for you another day, princess."

"Oh, ha-ha. Very funny, Arthur." Merlin made a face at the blonde's sarcasm. "I was thinking maybe the actual princess might like a couple of flowers -she is a girl, after all." He suggested, picking them up once more. A small bouquet of, no more than five, red roses was beautifully wrapped, a little yellow ribbon keeping them together. Merlin certainly thought they were worthy of a princess.

Arthur rolled his eyes, although he was quite unsure of what to do. He hadn't seen Accalia in five years; he didn't know what flowers she liked or if she even liked flowers at all. Merlin sensed Arthur's hesitation and shoved the flowers at him. "Just buy them. If she doesn't like them, you can always give them to Guinevere."

Arthur watched as Merlin walked off without another word and decided that he'd figure out a way to get rid of the disrespectfulness somehow. For now, however, he had to figure out what he was going to say to his 'cousins.' After all, they hadn't seen each other in a long time -they might not even like him anymore, or remember him.

Arthur, on the other hand… Arthur never forgot them, nor the day they ceased visiting Camelot. His father had gotten into a dispute with both kings about the way he was raising Arthur. Exasperated, the other two men had grabbed their children, barely saying goodbye, and left, never to return again. Yet now they were back, for some odd reason, and Arthur was going to enjoy the moments he had with his extended family. He only hoped that he would be able to act properly, so as not to insult them -they were all royalty and therefore should behave as such.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts some, Arthur began walking back towards the castle, wondering just where Merlin had wandered off to. Skimming the crowd of people with his eyes, he caught no sight of his companion. Really, it seemed that he was finding everyone _except _Merlin. How hard was it to find this kid -Merlin really did look like no other.

Once Arthur reached the front gates of his father's palace, he saw Merlin standing in a doorway, chatting with a girl. Eyebrows shooting up, Arthur chuckled silently. _So Merlin's got it in him, eh? Lovely. _

Upon approaching the couple, the prince decided he should intervene and take Merlin back inside with him. "Excuse me, ma'am…" He began, stopping short upon seeing the face of the young woman.

As the girl whirled around gracefully, her long, flowing, blonde hair flipped over her shoulder, as if with a mind of its own. Green eyes shined back at Arthur, slightly crinkled, displaying the utmost joy in them along with her wide smile. Her stunning looks caught Arthur off guard and he suddenly felt very guilty for thinking this way of a woman besides Guinevere.

The girl was quite tall, he noted, approximately a mere four inches shorter than himself. Her features were sharp, so she looked older, and she had an aura of sophistication mingled with juvenileness. Her slouched shoulders and boyish clothes made her look younger, so Arthur was unsure of how old she could have possibly been.

Once the mystery girl's gaze locked with Arthur's, her grin seemed to grow impossibly wider. "Arthur, is that really you?" She squealed, launching herself and enveloping him in a tight embrace, not even waiting for a response. Once the initial shock of the situation had passed, Arthur hugged back.

"A-Accalia…" He half-whispered, not quite believing this gorgeous lady could be the same freckled-face little girl that used to pretend to be the Cinderella to his Prince Charming. She imitated what he supposed was to be a giggle.

"The one and only, love." She replied, releasing him. He observed her for another moment before awkwardly holding out the flowers he had just purchased. She took them with grateful eyes. "Red roses are my favorite! Oh, thank you, Arthur! You really shouldn't have bothered though." Accalia kissed her old friend on the cheek, watching as he turned every shade of red possible.

A moment passed before Arthur cleared his throat and spoke. "I see you've met my manservant. Merlin, this is _Princess_ Accalia of the Southern Isles." Making sure to pointedly emphasize the term princess, Arthur continued. "My lady, this is Merlin. He is my servant, and will be yours as well for your stay."

Accalia frowned slightly, her brow furrowing when Merlin nervously bowed. She preferred him much more when he wasn't treating her like a goddess. Shaking her head, she bid Merlin to stand properly once more. "Please, don't. I may be a princess, but I'm not a god. You don't have to treat me as such. I'm a mere teenager, same as you, Merlin. Please don't feel obligated to serve me the way you might Arthur; I'm not your ruler. I'm a guest here but I can most certainly fend for myself. While I'm here, just be my friend, okay? Nothing special."

Merlin was in shock. A princess who didn't want to be treated as one? Truthfully, she had seemed like a decent person when he was first talking to her but he expected something different; a snob, perhaps. A complete girl who demanded more respect than deserved. Anything but what Accalia was like. When he noticed her raising a quizzical eyebrow, he hastily nodded.

"Yes, Madame. I - I mean, Accalia…?" He corrected hesitantly, unsure of himself and of Arthur's reaction.

"Accalia," Arthur began, "You are a princess. Why would you allow anyone to treat you as anything less? In our kingdom, we are not rude. We love the people, we interact with them, but we are to be treated with a certain degree of respect. You can't just tell everyone to treat you like a commoner."

Accalia huffed indignantly. "I can and I will. Oh, don't you dare say that it's not proper of a princess again. You know very well that I've never been the best example of one anyways. Besides," she added. "The boys are the same way. Arthur, we may be royalty but we are kids above all. You might want to remember that, at least during our stay."

Before Arthur could respond to Accalia's mini-speech, three young men appeared on horseback. They expertly pulled up their horses alongside them and dismounted them with the grace of a professional. Arthur assumed that these were the princes.

"Arthur!" Prince Jason bellowed, and Arthur was surprised at the lack of formality amongst these kids. Really, they were all around his same age; how could their upbringing have been so different to the point where their views on their royalty differed so greatly? Could that have been the argument between the kings all those years ago? Pushing those thoughts aside, Arthur allowed himself to be enveloped in three more hugs.

"It's so great to see you boys again." He proclaimed, grin spreading from ear to ear. "I've really missed you all."

It was William who spoke up this time. "As have we, Arthur. It's been far too long." The others nodded in agreement as Arthur looked them over.

"Jason, you've gotten taller!" Arthur observed. Jason snorted and rolled his eyes.

"I was ten the last time you saw me, Arthur; of course I've grown!"

"That's not what I meant, dollophead."

The three teens looked at Arthur with confused expressions. It was James who voiced the unspoken question. "W-what's a dollophead?"

Merlin was unsuccessfully choking back laughter, capturing the attention of the three remaining princes. They glanced at one another, momentarily forgetting their original question, and instead inquired who the interesting fellow was.

"Who are you?" William demanded, not unkindly. Merlin's laughter immediately ceased as he addressed the guest.

"My name is Merlin, Your Highness. I work as Arthur's servant and assistant to the court's physician, Gaius." He responded, gaze lowered slightly, head bowed in respect. Although the boys smiled at the mention of Gaius, they frowned once more taking in Merlin's stance.

"They must have you heavily trained, eh Merlin?" James teased. "As I'm sure my sister would have already told you, we're royalty but we don't expect to be treated larger than life. Got it?"

"Yes, sire." Merlin responded immediately, wincing when William sighed disappointedly. He and James exchanged glances, ignoring Arthur's explanation of the comical word to the younger ones of the bunch.

"Merlin, how old are you?" He suddenly asked.

"I… I'm seventeen."

William nodded thoughtfully. "Seventeen… Right, I'm the oldest of us four and I'm only sixteen. You don't need to bow down to younger children, alright? I'm sure that's at least understandable."

Merlin tried to suppress a smirk at how vehemently they were trying to be treated like normal people. He decided immediately that he liked them.

"Alright, William." Merlin nodded as the other two boys smiled. James draped an arm over his shoulders.

"Now that that's settled, I think we're going to get along great, Merlin."

The conversations between the six teens droned on until Uther arrived, followed by the other kings and their respective queens. They were completely ignored.

"Arthur." Uther waited. Getting no response from his son, he tried again. "Arthur.." His boy continued to ignore him as he spoke with the others. "ARTHUR!"

All six children visibly flinched and Arthur looked up sheepishly. "Yes, Father?"

"I see your 'cousins' have found you." He chuckled lowly, while the other nobles approached Arthur and greeted him.

"My, how you have grown! Arthur Pendragon, you are nothing shy of a man." Queen Adelaide commented, tearing up a bit. Arthur merely smiled back at her.

"I'm only seventeen, Your Majesty."

It was then when King Vasilis, her husband, intervened. "Nonsense boy. We are family and you will not address us as if we are your rulers." Arthur, as well as Merlin, were incredibly astounded at who easygoing these people were. Perhaps they were only doing it for show, wondered Merlin.

"Come now, let's go inside; Arthur, why didn't you bring the others in? Merlin, get their bags." Uther commanded, leading the way into the castle. Merlin rolled his eyes but did as instructed, stuttering in a semi-horrified manner when he noticed the princes carrying their own bags.

"I'll get that, don't worry!" He exclaimed hastily, lest he get reprimanded by the king. The boys smiled back at him and shook their heads, making sure to keep their items out of Merlin's reach. He groaned. "Really, let me take that! It's my job. Guys!" He scurried in after them, desperately hoping he wouldn't get into trouble because of them.

Running all through the palace's hallways, the three princes avoided Merlin at all costs. They simply refused to have the poor boy carrying all the load of bags -besides, he was already carrying their parents' things, they might as well grab their own.

"William, come back here! James, Jason! PLEASE!" Merlin screeched, practically begging them. The only response he got was a chorus of "no's". He was about to let his temper get the best of him when Uther's booming voice rang out, followed by Arthur's.

"**Why is there running and screaming in my halls?!" **

** "MERLIN!" **

The rulers of Camelot came out and glared at Merlin unmercifully. Uther fixed him with a blood chilling gaze. "Why do you only have half of the luggage? How dare you address the princes that way? I should have you fired, or at the very least, put in the stocks!"

Merlin crumbled under the harsh scolding, knowing he'd only make it worse if he didn't submit to the king. Just then, the other boys appeared, looking bashful.

"Uther, don't yell at Merlin. It was our fault, we wouldn't give him the bags. Please don't fire him." Pleaded Jason, sounding more like a little boy than fifteen years old. His own father glared at him.

"You boys thought you'd _save _Merlin trouble by dashing and hollering through the halls? Really, you aren't children anymore, so stop acting like it!" He chastised all three, who bowed their heads, mumbling apologies.

Uther paid no mind to the side discussion as he continued to glare down at the worker before him. Arthur chose to spoke up before Merlin really did get fired or worst.

"Father, I'll handle it. Merlin is my responsibility. I apologize for his behavior."

Before his father could answer, Arthur grabbed Merlin by the back of his collar and hauled him off, taking the extra luggage from the boys as they went past. Once they arrived at the bedrooms to drop off the items, Arthur turned to Merlin.

"Merlin."

The other boy raised his head, but did not meet the prince's eyes. Arthur noticed and softened slightly.

"Merlin… I don't want to hear of that childish behavior again. You know very well that my father intends to make a good impression and he's very quick to get rid of people who don't suit him well. Merlin, are you listening to me?" Once he received a nod, he continued. "I'm doing this for your sake, not mine. Heed my advice or don't, I don't care; but this is your first and last warning. Understand?"

Merlin peered up at Arthur through his eyelashes. "Yes, Prince Arthur." He responded before walking away. Arthur winced slightly at the tone with which Merlin spoke. So, he was offended, huh? Embarrassed, maybe.

Sighing, Arthur ventured back into the halls, making his way down to the throne room where he found everyone else gathered. Accalia was the first to glance up.

"Where's Merlin?"

Arthur hesitated a moment. He internally cursed himself for not having questioned Merlin about where he was wandering off to. A good lie…

"He went to see if Gaius needed anything. He'll be back soon." Upon noticing William, James, and Jason's worried expressions, he added, "I didn't kill him. You don't have to look like that."

"No, leave them be. They _should _feel guilty, getting that poor boy in trouble. I understand you three wanted to help, but that was not the way to go about it." King Vasilis, James and Accalia's father, scolded once more.

Uther rose from his seat. "Well, never mind that. It's the first time you all are in Camelot in a long while -what would you like to see first?"


End file.
